AN INTRODUCTION TO

MARXIST THEORY

HSB4U
 KARL MARX

• German philosopher (1818-

1883)

• Most notable work is The

Communist
Manifesto (1848)

• “All I know is I am no Marxist”

 MARX’S VIEWS

 Was a materialist – to understand society, we have to

understand how it organizes production

 Forces of Production – land, technology, skills,

knowledge, etc.

 Social Relations of Production – who controls the

forces of production, and how

 The forces of production will come into conflict with the

relations of production
 CLASS STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY

 Those is the top class control the wealth, and those in the
lower class do most of the work that produces the wealth =
exploitation

 This exploitation is the basis of class conflict

 Historical examples of class conflict i.e. slave vs slave holder,

feudal lord vs peasant; can you think of modern
examples??

 Capitalists (bourgeoisie) vs workers (proletariat) are

Marx’s focus

 Bourgeoisie alienates proletariat

 THE ECONOMIC BASE AND
SUPERSTRUCTURE

 Economic Base – the forces and relations of

production (i.e. the bourgeoisie and proletariat)

 Superstructure – the legal and political structures of

society

 The economic base influences the superstructure;

economic power is the basis of all other types of power

 The bourgeoisie, therefore, control society’s institutions

to help maintain the status quo (capitalism)
 MARX’S CRITIQUE OF CAPITALISM

Capitalism is…

 Exploitative
 Alienating
 Undemocratic
 Irrational
 Environmentally destructive
 Prone to war
 DIALECTICAL UNDERSTANDING OF
CLASS SOCIETY

 Eventually the bourgeoisie and proletariat will

conflict giving rise to a new economic system

 The large workforce under capitalism will realize

they are being exploited, and will mobilize a start a
popular revolution

 This will create a new social order where the workers

are in charge of production
 COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM

 In his writings, Marx says very little about what a

socialist or communist society would look like

What he does say:

 Cooperation rather than division
 Economy democratically controlled
 Social equality exists and all forms of oppression would
disappear
 The environment would be respected
 No profits for a minority of people
 Work would be fulfilling
 CRITIQUES OF MARXISM

 Marx’s theory has failed in practice

 Marx’s views are in conflict with human nature

 Capitalism has changed since Marx’s day, so his

criticisms are no longer relevant
 Connections to Other Theories

 Conflict Theory

 Cultural Materialism
 “Citizen Journalism”

 Also known as “public,” “participatory,”

“democratic,” “guerilla,” or “street” journalism

 Citizens play an active role in collecting, reporting,

analysing, and disseminating news and information

 Made possible by new media technology (social

networking, smart phones)

 Criticisms: unregulated, too subjective

 Application to Our Unit

 How might Marxist Theorists view citizen

journalism?

 Consider “citizen journalism” in light of the unit

essential question: have advances in technology
been good for people?

 As we watch Fruitvale Station, think about the

application of Marx’s theory (and Conflict Theory
and Cultural Materialism)